Eloy – The Legacy Box (2010)

After an 11-year hiatus after the release of “Ocean 2: The Answer” Germany’s progressive rock monsters Eloy returned with “Visionary” in 2009. Taking advantage of the new found momentum this legendary band has gained, Frank Bornemann (the only remaining original member of the band) and company have put out the double-DVD “The Legacy Box”.

In this new DVD we get a great documentary that takes the band release by release and talks about the things behind the scenes for the band’s iconic releases through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. We get interviews with past members and their thoughts behind the direction of the albums, the music, and the state of the band through each release. During this 90+ minute “Mighty Echoes – The story of Eloy” documentary, we get great insight into the band’s career and if you didn’t knew anything about them you will almost become an expert on the band.

The second DVD includes around 100 minutes of clips from the band. This includes song clips from the late 70’s all through 2010. There are also some live clips and other stuff that fans tired of the low(er) quality stuff available on the net will surely appreciate. In this DVD you can go all nostalgic with some of the band’s best hits and their respective clips from back in the day, and while the footage is grainy and looks dated (what can you expect from late 70’s to early 90’s stuff), it still looks better than anywhere else.

“The Legacy Box” is a true collector’s item and gives props to a legendary band. You get a huge amount of insight into the band’s career and the people that shaped it. Nicely presented with transitions showing live performances, recording sessions, etc, from each of the album periods, this documentary is very well made and organized to satisfy all the fans of the band. The clips are something that some collectors might cherish to have in DVD, but since they are very old (most of them) the quality lacks a bit, but we know they can’t look any better. The picture galleries are also a nice addition for people looking to get even more ‘behind the scenes’ stuff.

On the bad side, we have that the picture format of the documentary is 4:3, leaving people with newer widescreen TV’s with either black bars on the sides, or having to stretch the video. For non-European fans (like us) the DVD is PAL so it most likely won’t play in most DVD/Blu-ray players in the states, but it will play in any computer. The audio is also presented only in STEREO, but since it’s a documentary and the focus it self is not having the music sound as good as possible (like on a live DVD) this can be overlooked.

Overall, if you are into Progressive/Space Rock and never heard of Eloy, you should go running and get this release to start catching up. If you are an already established fan of the band, this release will provide you with high amounts of inside knowledge about the band’s musical journey, so click on the band’s label and go directly to their web store to buy your Frank Bornemann autographed copy, or the regular edition.

Release: December 2010

Country: Germany